Invair Technologies (Stuttgart, Germany) unveiled a new Linux-based PDA this week at CeBIT 2002 in Hannover, Germany. According to Adrian Steinmann of Invair, the device, called the Filewalker, was designed to be able to be operated with one hand, weighs a mere 0.2 lbs, and is quite small (though… somewhat thick), at 3.4 x 2.2 x .74 in.

Invair's new Linux PDA is based on a 133MHz Intel StrongARM system-on-chip processor, and has 32 MBytes of system DRAM plus 16 MBytes of Flash ROM. The display is a 160 x 240 pixel monochrome (16-grayscale) LCD and an EL (electroluminescent) backlight provides high legibility in widely varying lighting conditions. The Filewalker's expansion interfaces include an infrared port (which can be used for communicating with other devices including GSM phones), a USB interface, and an “MMC” slot for use with optional memory expansion cards.

Reflecting its European origins (it was developed and is manufactured by Invair Technologies in Germany), the Filewalker is packaged in a metal case (despite its light weight) and supports five European languages: German, English, French, Italian, and Spanish. The language selection is made on initial startup and can be altered later via a “hard reset”.

Summary of features . . .

• CPU: 133MHz Intel StrongARM system-on-chip processor
  
• Memory: 32MB SDRAM; 16MB Flash ROM
  
• LCD display:
  • 160 x 240 pixel resolution
    
  • 16 grayscale
    
  • EL backlight
    
  • Dimensions: 1.6 x 2.5 in. (42 x 63 mm)
• I/O expansion:
  • IrDA
    
  • USB
    
  • Card slot for MMC and SD Card
• Mechanical:
  • Dimensions: 3.4 x 2.2 x .74 in. (85.9 x 54.4 x 18.8)
    
  • Weight: 3.2 oz (92 gm)
    
  • Batteries: 2 AAA
• Software:
  • Linux operating system
    
  • Application software: Email, Notes, Contacts, Todo, Calendar, Clock, Alarm, Games, Linux-console
    
  • PC-synchronization with MS Outlook, plus backup/restore
    
  • Email Support: SMTP und POP3
    
  • Fileviewer: TXT, HTML, PDF, JPEG, GIF

Here are three photos of the Filewalker Linux PDA provided by Invair: photo1 / photo1 / photo1

Invair currently expects to begin delivering the Filewalker to customers in April, 2002.

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